We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
This is a good comprehensive list for preparedness. Also if you have never heard of the LDS preparedness manual it would be a good idea to perhaps look at that as well. It might just give you some additional ideas. If you just Google LDS preparedness manual you will find it
PREPAREDNESS TIP: THE 15 PILLARS OF PREPAREDNESS by Andrew Skousen
Becoming self-sufficient requires a broad base of knowledge and abilities. Although we can never become experts in everything, the more basic skills we acquire the higher our standard of living will be in hard times when equipment, goods and services will be scarce or impossible to find. After reviewing the many tips I have written in the past I have compiled 15 categories of essential areas for preparedness. Most of us “preppers” are well prepared in specific areas that interest us or match our abilities while neglecting others. As you read through this list, pay attention to which areas are strong or weak for you, then focus on bringing the weaker areas up to par. Every category is essential, and ideally, everyone would achieve some proficiency in all categories. This takes time, so don’t be discouraged. Try to take action on something every week, either in line with the tip topic I send out or another area needing attention. Here are the categories and some of the sub-topics to indicate the depth of each subject.
1) Water: Water storage—from spare containers to large, underground cisterns. Berkey and other water filters. Rainwater harvesting, wells, hand pumps, springs, treating surface water, etc.
2) Land: Secure land or secondary retreat with evacuation plan and 72 hour kits/bug out bags. Secluded property, natural barriers, mountain cabin vs. farm, hiding in plain site, vegetation, concealment strategies, fencing, defensive layout, etc.
3) Shelter: Reinforced home, window and door security, secure store rooms, fallout shelter, fences, security alarms, wood fireplaces, backup hot water system, toilets. Personal shelter—cold weather clothing, plastic for windows.
4) Growing and Gathering Food: Gardening—soil, compost, seed starting, the 4 major crops (corn, potatoes and other root vegetables, squash, and beans), harvest methods, and seed saving. Wild foraging—edible plants, berries, mushrooms and how to recognize and prepare them.
5) Preserving food: Canning (steam, water bath, pressure), freeze-drying, dehydrating, root cellar storing, fermenting, salting, smoking, curing, freezing and refrigerating.
6) Stockpiling Food: Grains, protein, oil/fats, dairy, canned goods, nuts and nut butter, salt and seasonings, sweeteners, extra foreign spices, etc. Food processing equipment—grain grinders, solar and other off-grid cooking methods, etc.
7) Food Animals: Raising, harvesting and preserving food from domestic and wild animals. Poultry, rabbits, pigs, sheep, goats, milk cow, cattle, horses, etc. Farm and pasture management, enclosures, water, feed, etc. Hunting wild game.
8) Self defense: Weapons (firearms, knives, etc.), guard dogs, empty hand techniques, body armor, night vision equipment, ammunition, reloading equipment, training.
9) Alternate Energy: Solar, batteries, generators, fuel storage, wood production, lights, flashlights/headlamps, etc.
10) Communication: Family band/GMRS (walkie-talkies), ham radio, shortwave, AM/FM radios, cell phones, landline telephones, computers.
11) Medical care: First aid, suturing, wound and burn care, bone splints, midwifery, herbs (growing, harvesting and using), fire cider and other preventative care, dental care, bentonite clay, iodine, detoxing after radiation sickness, etc.
12) Physical and mental conditioning: Physical fitness, teaching kids, homeschooling, mental toughness, true optimism, hope, choosing battles, working with a resistant spouse, etc.
13) Maintenance, Repair and Construction: Having the right tools, welding, riveting, sewing, fiberglass repair, stockpiling supplies like lumber, steel shapes, glues, fasteners, car parts.
14) Transportation: Better boots, bikes, cars, trailers, bug out vehicles, electric vehicles.
15) Sanitation: Making soap, shampoo, paper product alternatives (toilet paper, napkins and tissues), shaving supplies, washing machines, homemade detergents, borax, washing soda, lye from ashes, etc.
Preparedness is an ongoing effort. It takes time and sometimes requires putting off other pursuits or hobbies to advance our learning in these crucial areas. Often it requires delving into areas outside our comfort zone. Don’t balk at learning in these areas too. You will be surprised how much progress you can make if you just apply yourself and do your best. Whether changing a part on a car, taking a firearms/self-defense class, learning a new aspect of ham radios, or putting up a crock of sauerkraut, it will pay big dividends down the road and give you time to make mistakes before your life depends on it. [END]
🇺🇸 #Oklahoma high school principal (Kirk Moore) seen charging at and disarming a school shooter.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Victor Hawkins, was a former student who said he wanted to shoot up the school “like the Columbine shooters did.” While taking down the shooter, Moore was shot in the leg. He is expected to recover.
When the Principal woke up that day, he never thought he would be tackling a gunman.
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🇨🇳🛢 How much strategic oil does the world actually have in reserve?
Global strategic crude oil inventories stood at ~2.5 BILLION barrels as of December 2025, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
China holds by far the largest stockpile at 1,397 million barrels, more than 3 times the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve of 413 million barrels, which itself sits at only 58% of its full storage capacity of 714 million barrels.
China added an average of 1.1 million barrels per day to its strategic inventories throughout 2025, with preliminary data suggesting it continued building stockpiles in early 2026 ahead of the Iran War.
Japan holds the 3rd-largest reserve at 263 million barrels, followed by OECD European countries at 179 million barrels.
Meanwhile, the US is releasing 172 million barrels from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to suppress oil prices, part of a broader 400 million barrel coordinated release agreed by 32 IEA member nations in March.
🔗 ...
🛢 JP Morgan Warns Oil Market Out of Balance, Prices Must Rise
🔸The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil flows, has removed 13.7 million barrels per day from global supply in April alone. A JP Morgan research note warns the market has no good way to replace it.
🔸Normally, spare production capacity in Saudi Arabia and the UAE acts as the market’s shock absorber. But that buffer has effectively been removed, eliminating the system’s first line of defense.
🔸With spare capacity unavailable, markets turned to inventories
➤ Global stockpiles are now being drained at ~7.1 mbd in April, an extraordinary pace, according to the note.
🔸Meanwhile, demand is collapsing because supply simply isn’t reaching users — “forced demand destruction.”The hardest hit sectors include:
▪️ Petrochemical plants across Asia are shutting down or slashing output as LPG, ethane, and naphtha flows from the Gulf collapse
▪️ Airline jet fuel ...
🛢⛽️ Global oil inventories are heading toward RECORD LOWS:
Global visible oil inventories have fallen -255 million barrels since the start of the conflict on February 27, to 7,864 million barrels.
Total estimated oil draws, including non-OECD refined products storage, have accelerated to 10.9 million barrels per day in April, the largest monthly draws on record since 2017.
Cumulative estimated draws since the start of the war now stand at 474 million barrels, with Hormuz flows holding at ~10% of normal, or 2.0 million barrels per day.
Meanwhile, even in an optimistic scenario where Strait of Hormuz flows begin recovering by late April, it is unlikely to prevent global visible inventories from reaching all-time lows, according to Goldman Sachs.
As inventories keep falling, physical oil markets are likely to require sharply higher prices for immediate delivery, since buyers cannot wait months for cheaper futures delivery when stocks are running critically low.
Goldman also warns...
